Patchwork of clues building profile of Central Texas serial bomber

By Chris Eudaily

on March 20, 2018 1:46 PM

In the search for answers to a series of explosions in Central Texas, authorities have had little hard evidence that would lead them to a suspect. This is what they've gathered so far about the serial bomber terrorizing the Lone Star State.

In the search for answers to a series of explosions in Central Texas, authorities have had little hard evidence that would lead them to a suspect. This is what they've gathered so far about the serial bomber

In the search for answers to a series of explosions in Central...photo-15262342.179686 - |ucfirst

Bomber could seek more recognition:

Randall Rogan, a Wake Forest University professor who is an expert on forensic linguistic analysis and worked with the FBI on the Unabomber case, said as time passes, it's likely the person or people behind the explosions will seek more than just the thrill of the crimes themselves and will desire more recognition, something that could drive them to make contact with police or release some so.

Rogan said the new complexity of the fourth bombing might suggest it was a test for something even bigger. "This is an increase and expansion of sophistication and most likely a trial run for something to come in the future," he said.

Mary Ellen O'Toole, a retired FBI agent and profiler who worked on numerous bombing cases, including the Unabomber, and now heads the forensic science program at George Mason University, said because bombs require so many components, they increase the chance that whoever built it could leave a trace of themselves behind.

- While the FBI was able to build a correct profile of the bomber as having been raised in Chicago with ties to Salt Lake City and San Francisco, the big break in the case didn't come for 17 years, when he sent a 35,000-word manifesto. Even then, Ted Kaczynski was identified as the Unabomber only after his brother came forward to help authorities.

Hope in the Unabomber case - While the FBI was able to build a...photo-9300917.179686 - |ucfirst

Bombers have shared characteristics

- They are willing to forsake some control in their mayhem since they are leaving a device that might not reach its intended target. They enjoy the risk of it — not just the danger of building a bomb, but also of transporting it to neighborhoods where people live and they could easily be caught. And because the bombings have continued, they likely feel no remorse and are prepared to do it again.

Bombers have shared characteristics - They are willing to forsake...photo-9300920.179686 - |ucfirst

Wide net for clues:

"Something will come up somewhere. It will be a fingerprint on an envelope or DNA from saliva or a unique kind of detonator, or someone will just blab in a bar," Robert Taylor, a former police detective who is now a criminologist at the University of Texas at Dallas, said.

In the search for answers to a series of explosions in Central Texas, authorities have had little hard evidence that would lead them to a suspect. This is what they've gathered so far about the serial bomber terrorizing the Lone Star State.

In the search for answers to a series of explosions in Central Texas, authorities have had little hard evidence that would lead them to a suspect. This is what they've gathered so far about the serial bomber